The Best of WTOnline

Reader Poll

What part of your life is most difficult to surrender to God? My finances My future My past My family My physical body My feeling of control View Results

 

Feature

Enhancing Your Prayer Life

By Christine Crowley

Do you find it difficult to stay focused in prayer? Or perhaps the thought of praying daily wears you out. You have all the right intentions, but your prayer life just isn't as captivating and exciting as you have heard it to be for others. Here are a few simple ideas and tools that will encourage you to pray more often and more effectively every day. Remember, prayer has life-changing power, so why miss out?

Start where you are and go from there.

If your prayer time is limited to a quick blessing before meals, try setting a goal of praying for five minutes a day. If you’re currently praying that long, then make a commitment to pray 10 minutes every day. Don’t set a goal to pray for 60 minutes a day when you’re struggling to get through five minutes now, unless you feel the Holy Spirit leading you to do this.

Begin your prayer time with praise.

Before jumping right into what you want from God, or what you want Him to do for you, spend a few minutes acknowledging who He is and praise Him for who He is. Confess your sins before Him, and then thank Him not only for His forgiveness, but also for what He has done for you and given you. Now you can let your requests be known. There will be times when you want to pray for someone or even for yourself, but you're not sure how to pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to come and show you how to pray.

Pray the Scriptures.

God's Word is full of promises for us and those we are praying for. Don't forget to read the prayers of the great men and women of faith in the Bible.

Read one of the classic books on prayer.

There are many great books on the subject of prayer. What Happens When Women Pray by Evelyn Christenson, Prayer That Works by Jill Briscoe, The Kneeling Christian by An Unknown Christian, The Hour that Changes the World by Dick Eastman and Power of Prayer by R.A. Torrey. These books are available at your local Christian bookstore or on the Internet.

Have a prayer closet.

You don't need to literally go into a closet to pray, but have a place set aside in your house where you can go to be alone with God. Go there every day with the expectation of hearing from God. Have your Bible, pen and a notebook handy so you can write down what God is saying to you.

Find a prayer partner.

Pray that God will lay someone on your heart to ask to be your prayer partner. Remember a partnership involves more than one person, so as you expect them to pray for you and your needs, you also are to pray for them and their requests.

Carry cards with you.

Write your prayer requests and the names of those you are praying for on the cards and carry them with you wherever you go. During the day when you have a free minute or two you can pull the cards out and pray. By doing this you will find that what would have been unproductive time (standing in line at the grocery store, sitting in a doctor's office) can become time spent with the Father in prayer. You will also notice that you are spending more time in prayer, and everyone on your prayer list is being prayed for and often more than just once a day. You can also carry blank cards with you so when you run across someone during the day you can write down their prayer need.

Keep a prayer journal.

Keeping a prayer journal helps us not only remember who and what we're praying for, but it also encourages us in our prayers as we look back and see how God has answered our prayers. It's easy to forget answered prayers, especially during a season of not hearing from God. Prayer journals can be purchased at your local Christian bookstore. They are a simple, but effective way of recording the day you started praying for a certain request and the day it was answered and how God answered it.

Remember, the most important thing to do to enhance your prayer life is to pray. No matter how many books we read on prayer, how many prayer seminars and workshops we attend, we won't be effective until we actually get down on our knees and begin to pray.

Reprinted with the author’s permission.

CHRISTINE CROWLEY writes and speaks on issues that touch the lives of women around the world, and is also a certified life purpose coach, using e-mail and telephone appointments to help women know and fulfill God's purpose for their lives. As a certified life purpose facilitator, Chris conducts an intensive two-day one-on-one process with individuals to discover and begin fulfilling God's unique purpose for their lives. Chris is also a certified Women's Ministries consultant.